The externally visible surface characteristics of natural saguaro cactuses are geometrically complex. Such cactuses include a vertically ribbed or pleated trunk which slightly flares upwardly from its lower end and which slightly flares downwardly from its upper end. Older natural saguaro cactuses are further geometrically complicated, including upturned and laterally extending arms or branches, the arms being, similarly with the trunk, vertically pleated or ribbed. Such arms typically slightly flare downwardly from their upper or distal ends, and such arms typically elbow or arcuately curve toward the trunk and connect to the trunk at their lower or proximal ends.
Such complicated geometric surface features of natural saguaro cactuses result in complexities and cause difficulties in fabricating and assembling structures to accurately depict or portray such cactuses in three dimensions. Where, for example, heavy gauge sheet metal material is utilized in the fabrication of an artificial saguaro cactus, difficulties arise in vertically pleating or ribbing the sheet material. Further difficulties arise where sheet metal arms are added to such cactus, requiring that the pleated or ribbed texture follow an arcuately curved elbow at the proximal end of the arm.
The instant inventive artificial saguaro cactus solves or ameliorates problems noted above by providing unique and novel structures applicable to sheet metal material construction, such structures providing assistance in vertically pleating or ribbing the sheet metal material, and such structures allowing such pleats or ribs to follow the arcuate or elbowed curves at the proximal arm ends for portraying elbowed saguaro cactus arms.